From this moment forward I am categorically removing my support for President Obama. The tripling of troops in Afghanistan under his watch has absolutely destroyed my faith in him as an independent thinker, diplomat, and logical man, a president who has the best interest of the citizens of America in mind.
After eight years of mismanagement of the Afghan War under Pres. Bush — as if the incompetence and corruption of the government in Kabul, let alone the medieval madness of the Taliban and the murderous plots of Al Qaeda, weren't difficulties enough — there are no good options left in Afghanistan, only less bad ones. Whether you agree with him or not, it is obvious from listening to Pres. Obama's speech last night that while he was "dithering" (as if former Vice Pres. Cheney had any credibility left to voice criticism) Pres. Obama has done his best to balance the military and political realities, both here and abroad, to arrive at his strategy. His earnest, sober reasoning — in stark contrast to the "shoot from the hip" leadership of Bush — should be respected, even if one disagrees with his ultimate decision: what I agree is the least bad option.
I put my latest chapter of the espionage novel called "Closer to God," on the other blogsite I maintain: http://www.from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com, simply because some people have complained when I have put fiction on this site. Not that anybody seems to be reading much on the Obama site anymore. I never get comments at all. You could say that maybe my writing is just not good enough to elicit commentary, but I don't think that is it. The grassroots wonder of what was established by the initiation and continuation of this site before and right after the last election was quite something, and great fun to be a part of. But our population loses direction easily. Our culture bores even more easily. And being fickle today, at home and abroad, defines most Americans and most American policy.
We are making believe our money is worth something, and it is still working...marginally. We are making believe that there are actually jobs to perform in this country, instead of in China, India and Indonesia...where we sent them. Friedman stated, last week in the NY Times, that the fault for that is simply that Americans did not properly prepare and educate ourselves for the future, when they had the chance. The man is a liar and low-life cur, making millions while he laughs about why American's should quite justifiably be paid the same as Chinese peasants. And he golfs with the president, when he should more properly be water-tortured in Gitmo. But there is no real justice in the universe. There is only the eternal movement of information packets. Quantum mechanics. And there is no mercy, consideration, or even intellect at work in quantum activity. We are the merciful, the considerate and the intelligent part of this universe...when we choose to be. Right now, in this period of time, we are choosing to be dumb as hell, and reaping the benefits of that stupidity.
We are so busy admiring, and holding up to high exaltation, the phony 'stars' of our world, that our world is falling apart around us. In the Chicago Tribune, yesterday, the headline was all about people (including families, women and children) living in storage lockers, garden sheds and abandoned cars. The tragedy of it. Above that headline was a four inch column across the page, with a photo of a fifteen million dollar a year baseball player smiling out at us. The Sports section took that photo and made it the size of the whole page. How many people got the subtle distinction of the idiocy illustrated by that presentation? I wonder. Bret Favre is actually given tons of sympathy as he awaits the big Packers/Viking game on Sunday. Sympathy? How many million is he getting to play for two hours? I love his interviews, however. The man is a drooling idiot when it comes to discussing anything other than his 'game.' Its pretty funny, at least.
We are still in Afghanistan. We are fighting the Taliban. We are at war with the Taliban. What the hell happened to declarations of war and Congressional approval? Gone. We now go to war at a whim, or the opinion of a president. We actually are dumb enough to say that we are depending on our generals in the war theater to tell us whether we should increase or decrease our presence in the war! Now that is as dumb as asking Bret Favre! What general in his right mind is going to say "Oh, cut my troops in half please!!" What do generals do? They make war. How do they get advancement and more power? They make war. And they do it like Bret Favre, by being exposed to about as much danger as a taxi driver or deliveryman. Others are fighting and dying, or coming home with PTSD so bad they will never have any bliss in their lives. We are torturing the wrong people. We have a whole line of bankers, generals and even sports stars whole could profit us all mightily with just a few turns of the screw.
Maybe, one day, prior to the coming disaster in 2012 (Oh please God, bring it on), the common man can celebrate the common man again. They guy or gal working to actually make cars, the people building our roads, the nurses, baristas, waiters and cooks. And those people living in storage lockers (until they are outed and thrown in the streets, because you can't be allowed to live in a storage locker!) who are somehow trying to held life together instead of becoming insurgents.
And that is what is next if we do not make some changes. We will have insurgency here in this country, and we will be no more able to stop it here than we were able to in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan. We have a fiction of stopping it in Iraq, and we are going to try applying that same fiction to Afghanistan. We fortify the main population centers, then construct armored conduits to connect them, travelled by heavily armored vehicles. Then we claim that our 'surge' has worked. The natives laugh at us, as they properly should. We are not at war with Iraq or the Taliban. We are at war with our own self-imposed ignorance, and our willingness to glorify the ephemeral stupidity of stardom.
http://www.jamesstraussauthor.com
http://www.themastodons.com
http://www.from-the-chateau-dif.blogspot.com
By Padmini Arhant
In the past weeks, the additional troops request from the U.S. Commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the 10,000 to 80,000 range and then reportedly cut back to the median 40,000 troop level is attention worthy due to the flurry of comments, rhetoric and insinuations from the quarters responsible for the status quo.
The U.S. troops presence including the recently approved contingency expected to arrive in December 2009 stands at 68,000 along with the participation of 28 nations in the form of NATO alliance further boosting the military representation in one nation – Afghanistan, to deal with the combined insurgency from the Afghan Talibans and the Al-Qaida in the northern regions.
Rest of the content available @ http://www.padminiarhant.com
Thank you.
Padmini Arhant
Analysis: By Padmini Arhant
From the earlier data, it is conclusive that since the inception of the Afghan war, the constant flow of funding and the troops surge has remained the routine build up in the ill-conceived ‘so-called’ war on terror. The long fought war in the past eight years and previously against the Soviets should provide the U.S. defense a concise idea about the Afghan terrains, terrorists’ hideouts and other relevant operational tactics by the Talibans and the Al-Qaida forces.
Please follow link http://www.padminiarhant.com for the rest of the article.
The Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the northwestern regions of Pakistan, particularly the swat valley have proven deadlier for the ruling powers in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Sates due to the inevitable civilian casualties and displacement arising from the incessant shelling supposedly targeting the Taliban militants.
According to the Pakistani government,
Further info @ http://www.padminiarhant.com
Even the idea that the Taliban could possess nuclear material is harmful to our national security. The President should declare that and have spies and satellites vigilant in Pakistan. In the event Pakistan military forces are overrun near sites containing nuclear weapons or nuclear energy material he ought to immediately order those materials utterly destroyed. The Taliban would use those materials in a dirty bomb. It won’t be enough to drop cruise missiles on them because that would merely scatter the nuclear material around, where Bin Laden’s people can collect it. Mr. Obama should be prepared to nuke them, and he should do it immediately, before materials can be relocated. Many lives would be lost in such an action, but they would not be American lives. While all life is precious, President Obama must act decisively to protect our lives above all others.
Through this blog, I would like to make a request to Mr. President Barack Obama to help the Sikh people in Pakistan. I belong to Sikh communtiy from Punjab (India). Recently, I saw the news that Taliban forces behaving very badly with Non-Muslim communities in Pakistan. I watched a report on an Indian news channel that almost 150 sikh families lost their homes in Pakistan, because they were unable to pay the huge amount of some million rupees to Taliban. Report also ahowed that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan singh has talked to Pakistan officials to give some helps to Sikh communities suffered by Taliban. But Pakistan government refused their request by saying that Indian government has no need to worry about Pakistan Civilians. Whole Sikh Community is very disappointed on this and praying for Sikh families in Pakistan. I hope President will read my post and try to help the minorities in Pakistan. Also, for other readers, please feel free to ask questions and comments on this request.
Resources:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Demolition-of-Sikh-homes-India-takes-up-matter-with-Pakistan/articleshow/4471938.cms
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fffea9ee-2bc5-4017-a48d-69888e4d6cd3
As we celebrate President Obama's first 100 days in office, we can take a look back at a job well done. It's great to see a President keep all of his campaign promises to some degree. When we compare him to President Bill Clinton, or President George W Bush, it's like night and day. Here's a man that wants to hear from his followers and takes the advice of everyone who is willing to voice their concerns.
It was a genius named Christopher Hughes who helped develop this community site, so that for the first time in history we could talk about the things we love about the United States. A place where we can create a community, raise money and blog about politics.
It's the information age, and President Obama is young, fresh and jubilant as a leader. A great mentor and one we can look up too. I love the fact that he uses his blackberry and posts notes on Twitter every now and then.
A modern day President, one who addresses the problems of the nations and travels around the world to set up a web of communication with all the super powers of the world. At first the Taliban seemed to sit back in surprise, here was a man to contend with. One who shows great wisdom, brings people together and unites us all as one strong unit. Its no longer one countries battle against terrorism, it's the world (population 6,706,993,152)against a small group of people that refuse to be peaceful on this earth.
All this fighting and war that goes on affects the vibrations of the earth. Does the Taliban care about the earth or it's people? Don't they believe in Karma? What they do to others, it shall be done to them. Maybe everyone should pray that the powers that be will deal with these evil men who are hurting innocent people to prove a point. All we see is a bunch of men who like to murder innocents, if they are trying to get across a "religious" message, it's not working. I'm sure they are very wise men in the Taliban, perhaps they should take a step back and look at what's going on in the world. Instead of bringing destruction to the earth, they should try to resolve their differences and help to bring peace instead. What is it that they need and want? Does the Taliban just want our attention? Is this the basis for the violence that they insist on placing on the shoulders of our world leaders?
Only goodness can win, even if evil rears it's ugly head, united nations will stand and those that are evil will fall. And all will be naught. It's best to work with the world and not against it. Peace is what we all want. We want our family, children and loved ones to be safe and not have to worry about biological diseases caused by weapons of war.
I know we are all impressed with President Barack Obamas way of dealing with every issue and the problems left behind by other presidents. He takes each problem as a grain of salt and works to bring resolution to problems that have plagued the US Government for 100's of years. It's nice to know that President Barack Obama can be trusted. We can believe in this man that he will do as he says. Let's all jump on his band wagon of life and help him achieve his goals, we will all benefit from it, I'm sure!
I have posted more articles about President Barack Obama's First 100 Days on http://ideasaboutlife.today.com/2009/04/29/the-44th-president-barack-obama-brings-change-to-the-oval-office/
The Taliban: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban
BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
Accountability: America's Moral Responsibility to Humanity
Eight years of Republican "leadership" has left America both economically devastated, and globally humiliated. Yet, far from apologizing for the damage that they've done to the stability and image of this great nation, instead, they've circled their wagons and gone into damage control mode–not to control the damage that they've done to the nation, but in an attempt to rewrite history in order to control the damage that they've done to themselves.
So now, as President Obama goes about the business of desperately trying to return America to its former position of economic stability at home, and respect, admiration, and moral authority abroad, the GOP leadership seems to be completely oblivious to the nation's desperate and immediate need for a concerted effort in that regard. They're like clueless children who find it impossible to see the big picture. Thus, at this point it has become abundantly clear that their primary concern is not with restoring America to a sound footing in the world, but rather, simply restoring themselves to power at any cost.
News Correspondent: I'm here in Afghanistan, where American troops have just captured a group of Taliban terrorists.
[A group of handcuffed men walk past the camera. They are all in their 20's, with long hair, full beards, and Afghan clothes—except for one man. That man is middle-aged, clean-shaved, with short, gray hair, and a business suit and tie.]
News Correspondent: Wait a minute—one of these men is different!
[The news correspondent walks up to the middle-aged man and points the microphone at him.]
News Correspondent: Excuse me, sir. Are you the leader of this Taliban terrorist group?
Sessions: No, I'm not a terrorist. I'm a Republican congressman from Texas.
News Correspondent: Why are you here with the Taliban?
Sessions: I'm on a fact-finding mission.
News Correspondent: What kind of facts are you getting?
Sessions: Insurgency techniques. Insurgency is a mindset and an attitude that we're going to have to search for and find ways to get our message out. Systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes.
News Correspondent: What is your message?
Sessions: LIVE, FROM NEW YORK—IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT !!!
I've been giving a lot of thought to the Republican schism, and have been skimming a few resources looking for posible lessons to be found in the Republicna party schism of the late 1870's (and early 1880') that led to the party being split into three factions: 1) the liberal reformers, 2) the "Stalwarts", and 2) the "half-breeds". I haven't quite decided, because the circumstances of the post-Civil War era were so different from today's corcumstances.
But one thing did chill me - with the thought of Rush Limbaugh now the de facto head of the "real Republicans" (the sector paralleling the old "Stalwarts") in the back of my mind, I came across the fact that, in 1881, it was a disgruntled Stalwart who assissinated President Garfield in 1881.
Now, like most Americans, I'm hoping and praying that the far-less-than-ideal Stimulus Bill, drafted, it unfortunately seems, without the input of such brilliant thinkkers as Paul Krugman and pragmatic thinkers such as Sheila Behr or Jim Cramer, will indeed get the economy moving and get America back on her feet. Given the increasing rancour, however, of those who like to call themselves the "real Republicans" (not the so-called "RINOs"), as represented by de facto head of the Party, Rush Limbaugh (Mr. Steele evidently being chairman in name only), I am increasinly fearful for the safety of President Obama and perhaps even Vice President Biden.
My fear had begun as a vague gel of uneasiness, but began to solidify when I took note of Sen. Pete Sessions citing the Taliban as a model of "political insurgency" to be emulated by the Republican Party, and admonishing the Party to cease thinking of itself as participants in a legislative process and instead become a Taliban-like insurgency.
Perhaps my understanding of these issues is implistic, however, when I swore that oath to "protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic", I never for one moment thought that this oath extended to belonging to a group that had the express intent of promoting the deliberate disruption national affairs and due legislative process. Again, I am not a political or Constitutional scholar, but this seems to tread uncomfortably close, if not to treason, than to at least a blatant breach of that oath. My gut reaction is that it illustrates an utter disdain for Constitutional process, and for us Citizens that this process is supposed to both heed, and help, illustrates a descent from party ideology, to cultist fanaticism - the very sort of self-aggrandizing and self-righteous fanaticism that led to the assination of President Garfield.
I know that I am not alone in my fear - I've heard many people express it, albeit in differnt words. We have always known that there are both leftist-fringe, and rightist-finge, elements in our nation, and they do have the right to freely express their rview. But a dangerous amount of encouragement was given, through nods and winks, through silence and chuckles and half-smiles, in response to the words of hatered and violence, encouragement given by those who erroneously believed they could hold the dragon by the tail and use it to propell them into positions of power. But the voters have denied them that power, and by so doing, have left that roused minority, a small but generally well-armed minority, with nowhere to roar; and so, we see an increasing level of hatred and violence in the rhetoric of those who only love representatvie Democracy, and the Constitution, when they can make both serve their own needs and desires and agendas.
Currently, this remains, for the most part, an issue of freedom of speech. But at wat point does free speech becomes a voiced threat? I wonder whther the extremist Stalwart could have been nipped in the proverbial bud back in 1881, and I hope and pray that similar impulses can be diffused now. Given the world situation, I fear taht a repeat of the 1881 action would not only be a tragedy, but would ignite the nation, and perhaps beyond, achieving what the Taliban, and al-Qaida, could not.
God willing, I am merely being paranoid...at least that's easily remedied with medication.
The Republican Party–a Threat to America
One of the Republican Party's most enduring talking points is that the Bush administration has kept America safe since 9-11, but what evidence do we have of that? Even as the Bush administration bragged about their security efforts, they left both our front and back doors wide open. The two primary entry points into the United States are all but short of a welcome sign.
In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on September 27, 2007, Greg Kutz of the Government Accountability Office testified that GAO investigators were able to cross into the United States from Canada with a duffle bag filled with contents resembling radioactive material on three different occasions during the fall of 2006. He went on to testify that they did so without encountering even one law enforcement official. And as everyone knows, our Southern border is an absolute sieve. If Jose Garcia can simply walk across the Mexican border into the United States, what's to prevent Osama Abdul from doing exactly the same?
The Coming Surge Into Afghanistan
Obama and the Graveyard of Empires
By GARY LEUPP @ counterpunch.org
Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen is reportedly recommending to President-Elect Obama that the U.S. increase by 30,000 its current force of 32,000 in Afghanistan. That, as Robert Dreyfuss points out in a recent column, is about 20,000 more troops than Obama was proposing while on the campaign trail.
Obama, who has enthused about refocusing the “War on Terror” back on Afghanistan, is likely to accede to the admiral’s request. There are at present under NATO command approximately 31,000 non-U.S. troops within the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) fighting the Taliban and other “insurgents” in Afghanistan. (80% of these are from from the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Australia, and Turkey.) Popular opinion in most of those countries runs high against continued deployment, but except in Australia it is of course sold as an obligation of NATO membership.
Add to these the redoubled U.S. force and we’ll have a have a robust occupation army of 93,000 foreigners. With the exception of Albania and Azerbaijan, which have sent only small contingents, all participating nations are historically Christian, encouraging the Afghan perception that their Muslim nation is under infidel attack............
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp12262008.html
Unleashing Terrorist Network in Pakistan
by Pukhtoon Khan
The Pakistani Media has again as usual,mis-quoted the recent statements of President Karzai in which he issued a forceful warning to militants in Pakistan, saying he will send Afghan troops across the border to combat Taliban insurgents. The mis-interpretation of the President's statements is done intentionally by the Pakistani media to provoke the Tribal Pashtuns against their fellow Afghan brethren despite of the fact that President Karzai has been warning Pakistan regarding cross border infiltration of Pakistani religeous and military terrorists into Afghanistan.
What President Karzai said in his statement was : 1) That terrorists from Pakistani tribal areas are entering Afghanistan for suicide bombing to target Afghan and ISAF forces. 2) That these Terrorists are [ISI-backed] Taliban whose leader is Baitullah Mehsud or Mulla Umar in Pakistan. 3) That Afghanistan and ISAF forces reserve the right to take the revenge of killings by these Talibans in Afghanistan even if Afghan and NATO forces have to chase them to their houses in the FATA. 4) That Afghanistan is also concerned about the atrocities being committed to Pashtuns in Pakistan. 5) That Afghanistan only trusts ANP among the political parties in Pakistan.
It is obvious that if the govt of Pakistan does not take any action against these terrorists entering Afghanistan but rather facilitates and trains them to do these nefarious activities then Afghanistan would feel insecure and it would be compelled to take precautionary measures for her security.
Pakistani media projected the statement as provocative and tried to hide factual position from the world which implied :1) That Afghanistan is neither interested to violate the so called sovereignty of Pakistan nor does it want to harm or attack its fellow Pashtun brothers in FATA. 2) That Pakistan is behind the suicide attacks in Afghanistan. 3) That Pakistani agencies are behind the planing and training of the suicide bombers and terrorist. 4) That Pakistan is not sincere to see peace and progress in Afghanistan. 5) That Afghanistan reserves the right to take revenge of all the suicide bombs done by the invisible hands which get activated from FATA – the land of non-local terrorists trained by Pakistani army and agencies with the help of local religious demagogues.
Let us unleash the multi-tier terrorists network active in Pakistan under state supervision .
It is a well established fact that the Taliban as well as other religious prototype groups are the products and terrorist wings of ISI. The statements of Baitullah Mehsud and Mulla Umar of Taliban Movement Pakistan are just the Pashto translation of ISPR's statements regarding Afghanistan and Pakhtoonkhwa.
The nomenclature of the terrorist network in Pakistan is as follows: 1. The planning and strategy formation is done at the GHQ Rawalpindi both against Pashtuns,Balochis or Sindhis and against India and Afghanistan. 2. The plan is executed by the intelligence agencies (ISI,MI,IB etc) of Pakistan. 3. Depending upon the geopolitical situation of the region, the modus operandi of the terrorist activities is customised accordingly. In Pukhtunkhwa, the religious parties and clerics are bribed to provide "manpower" for the suicide bombs and other terrorist activities while the more technically sensitive operations like killing of political leaders are carried out by the intelligence agencies themselves.
Religeous groups like Taliban along with the local criminal elements are guided by the professionals of the intelligence agencies to control the local people through religious authority. The network of Taliban is extended across Pakhtunkhwa regionwise in order to hijack the freedom and liberty of the local people anytime and to terrorise the people constantly.
Baitullah Mehsud in Waziristan,Mangal Bagh in Khyber agency, Mulla Fazlullah in Swat,Mulla Omar in Bajaur etc are all the ISI puppets playing with the lives of innocent Pashtuns - a nation which has never been conquered with sword but has been falling prey to the authority of religion in history. On top of it all ,the military is carrying out operations in the name of war on terror but infact killing all those among the local population who might potentially become a power to reckon with against the designs of the state sponsored terrorist activities and hegemony of Punjab dominated Pakistan army.
In Afghanistan,there is peace in all those cities that are bordering other neighboring countries except Pakistan.It is the border with Pakistan which has been experiencing political unrest and insurgency due to Taliban. The Talibans in Afghanistan – who were the product of ISI in the early 90's - are under the complete control of Pakistani agencies and plotting plans to destabilise Afghanistan in every possible manner.
Pakistani agencies export experts and expertise to the Taliban in Afghanistan via FATA.The same notorious agencies are propagating against the ISAF forces to deceive the world media on one hand and motivate the local population for "Jihad" on the other in order to justify its anti-Afghan activities.
It is therefore suggested that the world community should pressurise Islamabad so that it stop its interference in the internal affairs of its neighbouring contries specially Afghanistan. A stable Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan as Afghanstan is the gateway for all the trade routes to central Asia. Based on an ambiguous state ideology and having no roots and bonds of integrity among the various nationalities ,Pakistan is already on the brink of another collapse due to the prevalent system of injustice and exploitation and therefore is fastly loosing its chances of survival.
Dec. 18 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. and NATO-led troops should review policies on detentions and house searches in Afghanistan and coordinate with local forces when targeting insurgents, a United Nations envoy said.
“People are detained and often are held for a long period of time on the basis of mistaken identity or mistakes with regard to whether these people are insurgents,” Kai Eide said at a news conference in Kabul.
Some of the UN’s closest contacts have been held by international troops, prompting frustration among Afghans, he said. House searches should also be led by Afghans who clearly understand cultural sensitivities in the nation, Eide said. adding that such knowledge is “critically important.”
Insurgents have stepped up attacks against Afghan troops and the 70,000 international soldiers deployed in the country. The Taliban movement has a “permanent presence” in almost three-quarters of Afghanistan and is closing in on Kabul, according to the International Council on Security and Development, a Paris-based research organization.........
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=anwO_4Bs9ZgI&refer=us
by Robert Naiman @ commondreams.org
USA Today reports that Gen. McKiernan - top U.S. commander in Afghanistan - "has asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 soldiers, Marines and airmen" to augment U.S. forces. McKiernan says U.S. troop levels of 55,000 to 60,000 in Afghanistan will be needed for "at least three or four more years." He added: "If we put these additional forces in here, it's going to be for the next few years. It's not a temporary increase of combat strength."
We should have a vigorous national debate before embarking on this course. Contrary to what one might think from a quick scan of the newspapers, there are knowledgeable voices questioning whether increasing the deployment of U.S. troops to Afghanistan is in our interest, or is in the interest of the Afghan people.......
ARTICLE/VIDEO - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/12/09-0
By PAUL FITZGERALD and ELIZABETH GOULD @ counterpunch.com
Come January, President-elect Barack Obama will confront the most difficult foreign policy crisis of his administration with the region-wide-war developing in Afghanistan. If he is to succeed, the new president must immediately change the tone of U.S. engagement. He can do this by first establishing a revised set of rules by which the United States must play, stressing the rule of international law and respect for civil and human rights. The president must then initiate these rules by announcing that the first priority of U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan is the preservation of human life. In other words, stop killing Afghanis.
1. Stop killing Afghanis. Since September 11, 2001, the United States has behaved as if it is at war with the Afghani people. Killing innocent Afghans is more than just ineffective; it defies the world’s sense of justice and morality while turning the Afghani people and the Islamic world even further against the United States.
2. Stop humiliating Afghan men and desecrating their homes. The U.S. military’s search-and-destroy tactics in rural Afghani villages have turned the countryside en masse against the U.S. presence.......
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/fitzgerald12032008.html
Plan to enlist local militias threatens to backfire
By Jerome Starkey in Gardez @ independent.co.ukThursday, 4 December 2008
Tribal elders from Gardeserai in Paktia, eastern Afghanistan, who travelled to Gardez to protest against raids by American special forces in Suri Khel, in which one man was killed and 10 others arrested
They came in the night and shot Saeed Alam in his bed. His three-year-old son was crying at his feet and his mother had leapt on top of him to try to block the bullets. Both of them were hurled out of the way and an American soldier opened fire.
America's plans to enlist Afghan militias in the war against the Taliban are running into difficulties while still in their infancy. In eastern Paktia province, the white-bearded Afghan village elders who are crucial to the "Afghan awakening", are threatening to unite against the Americans unless such night raids by US special forces are halted.
Saeed Alam was shot four times in the chest in the raid last Saturday. His son landed in a fire pit, used for cooking. His mother died of shock the next day.......
ENTIRE ARTICLE -http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tribal-leaders-to-sabotage-wests-assault-on-taliban-1050600.html
To some, the only path is the current path: military force. Recently, there have been calls for a different path -- negotiation with the Taliban and countries in the region. The following article argues for a third path -- just leave and let the Afghanis govern themselves.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/22-5
